MIYABI | Arkham Projects

MIYABI was for many years a small and modest restaurant which fame is attributed to the sincerity and the quality of its food. A new and bigger establishment in northern Mérida gave us the opportunity to reflect these characteristics in architecture. 

The owners, a Mexican chef and his wife, from Japan, emphasized on the sincerity of their plates, and how the don’t hide the natural flavors and looks of their food with other ingredients that aren’t necessary. They wanted a modern place, a reinterpretation of the Japanese culture, but not in a literal way. One of the challenges was to translate years of local tradition into a project that responded to the businesses growth, trying to avoid alienating existing clients and meeting all their expectations. 

Wood, the predominant material in the project, is an interpretation of Japanese structures and lattices, where the exposed veins of it are a response to the sincerity of the food mentioned above. A skin was created on the ceiling and on the back wall, which embraces the room, creating a cozy space, which also allows lowering the stairs and creating acoustic comfort. In the ceiling in particular, the arrangement of wooden signs allows the user to experience and enjoy different scenes every time he visits the restaurant; at night, the indirect lighting allows us to accentuate certain elements of the ceiling.

Lighting plays a very important role in the restaurant. In addition to having lights that generate a playful visual on the ceiling, each table has a hanging lamp of punctual illumination. The atmosphere is cozy, where users can enjoy hours of it; this is also a feature of the furniture, comfortable, with a sober and neutral personality.

The visual highlight is in the background, a traditional Japanese Zen garden, made up of representative plants of that country and a young bonsai. This garden is also a distributing element, the same that generates two vestibules on its sides for access to the bathrooms and the kitchen.

The dishes were designed in conjunction with the owners. The intention was to achieve unique elements, combining Japanese culture with Yucatecan craftsmanship. It was made in a small town in the center of the state of Yucatán, using local materials; the tableware features handmade Japanese accents.